The invention may be used in medical institutions and is also suitable for personal use according to the above purpose.
A number of analogs of the claimed device are commercially available.
In particular, Site-Rite 5 (available from BARD Access, US) is known, which is a special ultrasound scanner for catheterization of central veins, provided with a linear multi-frequency 5-11 MHz sensor and a guidance puncture needle. This set (ultrasound scanner, sensor) costs over 1 million rubles.
Known is a device provided with a piezosensor disposed within a needle bore, wherein the Doppler effect is used to find the venous bed (US Patent Application No. 2007-0016069). Under visual inspection of a medical technician, transdermal puncture is performed whereafter the blood flow direction is identified using light and sound indications on an external device. However, since the ultrasonic beam and the needle have the same directivity, the so called “needle yawing” occurs. After the vein has been found, it is punctured. The sensor is then removed from the vein bore and further manipulations are performed.
The disadvantages of this device include:
painful sensations felt until the vein is found;
probable formation of an air gap within the needle between the sensor and the tissues so that the sensor operation is disturbed;
the sensor may be used only once;
uncased sensor cannot be used due to its unstable operation as a result of becoming clogged with the pieces of tissues from the space between the needle walls and the plate itself or complete non-conductibility to the dense tissues because of an air cushion;
high cost of the case-type sensor.
In addition, known is a so called Vein Viewer device available from Christie (U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,754), wherein based on a difference in absorptivity between the skin and the veins due to the presence of hemoglobin in the former, veins are detected by means of the IR technique and visualized on an illuminated projection directly onto the area under study thereby facilitating the task. This technique was originally used for verification of the so called “venous ID” and its inherent complete authenticity of a human. This device may only be operated by skilled professionals and physicians, is intended for use at hospitals and is expensive (25,000 USD). Similar equipment is also used by AccuVien (priced at 6,900 USD).
This device is the closest prior art.
The disadvantages of all the above cited prior art devices include:
precision targeting of the needle is impossible to puncture the vein due to the presence of the “human factor” because the needle is introduced by a human operator;
the laser aperture has to be positioned exactly at an angle of 90 degrees to the vein to avoid the lateral image shift resulting in presentation of a “virtual” vein whose projection disagrees with the actual vein;
the “actual” vein size may differ since unless the laser aperture is at 18 cm from the skin surface, a “play of projection” occurs;
no pre-anesthesia is provided in the device as such;
a high cost of the device.